We are a group of imperfect people pursuing a perfect God. We exist to help each other find and follow Christ. These are some things we want to be true of our group:

We create a safe and honest environment, staying transparent and authentic.

We keep it inside the circle. Confidentiality is necessary for a healthy group.

We look together to the Bible for help and guidance, and keep out our own politics, sales, or agendas.

We do not try to fix each other, preach sermons, or give unsolicited advice. We instead encourage, listen to, and celebrate each other.

We handle conflict between us quickly and honestly by going to the person, owning our part, and practicing forgiveness.

We respect each others’ time by starting and ending when we say we will.

We trust that it is God’s role to change people, not ours.

We believe that in Jesus Christ, there is hope for everyone.

In the first week of the BYOG series (Bring Your Own God), we’re dismantling our old beliefs on who we think God is and challenging ourselves to look at Jesus as the perfect description of who God is. Many of us view God differently, and we’re using this time to create a safe place to discuss, ask questions, and wrestle down what we believe. In fact, we’ve seen God welcome wrestling, even literally, like when Jacob wrestled God. Let’s dive in together with the common goal to know who Jesus says God is.

BREAKING THE ICE

Mission has the opportunity to help Mission City Church, a new church plant in Santa Barbara, launch this fall. Have you thought at all about being a part of the team that helps them launch well for 6 months? Are you going to an Interest Lunch on July 15 or 22?

CONNECT

First Impressions

What did you think about Christians before you became one? How would you describe God based on these impressions (before you were a Christian)? Why?

Buzzkill, Redeemer, Judge?

What is one word that comes to mind when you think about God at this moment in your life? Have you resonated in your life with the Buzzkill God like Jake talks about?

APPLY

Don’t settle for the counterfeit version of GodOften times we focus on all the things we mess up on because we think that’s what God is most concerned about, rather than accepting that we’re forgiven and moving forward to what God has prepared for each of our lives.

Do you have a hard time moving past your failures and the things you think God doesn’t like about you?

FOLLOW UP: God has prepared beautiful, interesting, and even surprising lives for us - He wants our lives to be full of joy! What areas of your life do you have trouble seeing God’s way of doing things as the way that will give you the most joy? Where does it feel like you have your best interest at heart more than God does?

The Uninvited Dinner GuestDr. Luke in the bible, consistently refers to Jesus as the perfect example of God’s character. In Chapter 7:37-38, a woman who was an outcast showed up at a dinner party with the Pharisees and started cleaning Jesus’s feet with expensive perfume. Jesus points out that not even the host offered to do this, but this woman wanted to love Jesus with everything she had to offer.

What does this sinful woman’s exchange with Jesus teach us about how God loves us and how we should love people - especially the ones we don’t find easy to love?

Process the following situations together

How do we welcome people into our home? Do we pull out the red carpet? Hebrews 13:2 (KJV) says, "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” How do we speak of and with the undesirables of this world? How do we treat people we don’t agree with, whether in politics, morals, financial situation, etc.?

We All Have a DebtLuke 7:41-47 says, "41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

The sinful woman is well aware of how much forgiveness she needs, but the Pharisee finds it easy to judge her because she’s not as “good” as him. Jesus shows us that the more we accept our own brokenness, the more love we experience from and for God.

How have you experienced greater love for God when confronted with your own brokenness like the woman in the story?

How have you slipped into taking the grace of God for granted and judging others because of their sin? How has it affected your relationship with God?

READ. PRAY. DO.

READ

Getting to know God is a process. He reveals Himself through Jesus, throughout the bible (this book is a great overview), and on a deeply personal level. God enjoys going through this process with each of us. Check out Jacob's story and see how God revealed Himself in Jacob's life.

PRAY

Pray this prayer on your own, or use it to kickstart your own personal prayer time. Jesus, thank you for wrestling with us in our questions. Thank you for not expecting us not to have it all together and for meeting us where we are. Please lead me into discovering who you say you are and show me how I can love you more. I trust you want the best for my life and desires. Thank you for never withholding your best for me!

DO

Ask one person who doesn’t know God who they think God is (reword as needed). Ask another person who knows God who they think God is. Pray and ask God what he wants you to learn from their responses. Pray for these two people this week and ask God to reveal His character to you and them as well!